Quaint English Cottage Gets a Modern Kitchen Addition

When kitchen designer Alex Saint of approached the project of adding a modern kitchen to an 18th-century thatched-roof cottage in Cheshire, England, he did so with the property’s historic integrity in mind.

Instead of attempting to replicate the home’s century-old brickwork, the architect decided to build a glassed-in kitchen addition that would minimize structural changes and preserve the home’s character.

Double-glazed glass walls and ceiling help to control the temperature in the cooler months; when the sun shines, the homeowners open the full-length sliding doors to let in fresh air. The floor matches the stone terrace exactly, creating a smooth transition between the home’s outdoor and indoor spaces.

A spacious foyer now occupies the site of the old kitchen. The new kitchen’s entryway — an opened-up outer wall that was the only structural change to the home — provides sunny views of the garden and carriage house.

Creating the addition entirely from glass presented a few structural challenges. “We had to be really careful about how we planned the layout of the kitchen, so that in the end we didn’t need to fix anything high up,” says Saint. A low stabilizing wall runs around three sides of the addition.

The kitchen was outfitted with cabinetry in soft matte white, an ergonomic raised dishwasher, a full-height refrigerator and ample storage. Track lights and subtle uplighting keep the space illuminated at night.